astronaut

First American Woman to Walk in Space Now First Woman to Reach Deepest Point of Ocean

Former astronaut Kathy Sullivan returned Monday from Challenger Deep, the deepest known point on Earth at about 35,853 feet under the Western Pacific Ocean

Dr. Kathy Sullivan and Victor Vescovo after their dive to Challenger Deep.
Enrique Alvarez courtesy of EYOS Expeditions Ltd.

Kathy Sullivan, America’s first female spacewalker, also became the first woman to reach the deepest known point of the ocean.

Sullivan dove to the bottom of the Challenger Deep and safely returned in her submersible vessel on Monday, according to EYOS Expeditions, the company that operated her expedition. She is now the eighth person to reach the depth, the lowest point in the Marianas Trench, which is about 35,853 feet under the Western Pacific Ocean surface.

A call was made between Sullivan’s vessel at the bottom of the ocean and astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The call was an homage to Sullivan’s other historic adventure, when she became the first American woman to walk in space in 1984.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

Contact Us